Ventura City Fire crews responded to the report of fire in a residential structure. Residents of the structure, who did not have functioning smoke detectors, were successfully evacuated by Police personnel just prior to Fire crews arriving on scene. Upon arrival, Fire personnel found a single story duplex with heavy smoke coming from one of the attached units. A quick and aggressive interior fire attack, combined with vertical, positive-pressure ventilation of the heat and smoke, allowed Fire crews to extinguish the blaze in a short amount of time. Fire damage was contained to the unit of origin, and extension to the adjoining unit was prevented.

Two occupants of the involved unit were displaced due to the extent of smoke and fire damage, and were assisted by Red Cross. The cause of the fire was an unattended burning candle that ignited window dressings. No injuries were reported at the time of this release.

This event serves as an important reminder to everyone...test your smoke detectors monthly and change the batteries in your smoke detector every six months. The easiest way to remember when to change batteries is to do so every time you change your clocks for Daylight Savings Time.